I am writing you today to give you an update
on the campaign to stop genetically engineered
trees and to ask you to join us by sending a
donation to the campaign today.
As you may recall, the USDA is expected to
issue their decision this year on the proposal by
ArborGen to release 260,000 GE
cold-tolerant eucalyptus trees across
seven states in the U.S. South, from Texas to
South Carolina. Incredibly, the USDA's draft
environmental assessment recommended
approval of this disastrous
request.
But ArborGen also intends to export these
destructive GE eucalyptus around the world.
This means we cannot confine our campaign to the
U.S. With your support we will continue to
build the movement to stop GE trees
globally. We will stop the widespread
destruction of native forests and displacement of
Indigenous and forest-based communities for GE
tree plantations.
In the U.S., we are developing a legal
strategy, building grassroots resistance in the
threatened regions, and implementing an aggressive
media strategy.
Please send a gift
today to support our work to stop the
large-scale release of genetically engineered
trees, both here in the U.S. and
worldwide.
GE trees pose an imminent
danger to forests and forest dependent
communities. Your support is
crucial to our success.
GE eucalyptus pose serious health and
environmental threats. We recently received
very alarming information about some genetically
improved eucalyptus plantations in Tasmania,
Australia. The genetic "improvement"
of these eucalyptus trees has caused them to be
extremely toxic. Runoff from these
plantations has contaminated nearby Georges Bay,
causing massive oyster bed die-offs and rising
rates of sickness among the local residents.
Will ArborGen's genetically engineered eucalyptus
cause the same problems?
The contamination of our forests by GE trees
will also have devastating impacts on wildlife
such as songbirds.
ArborGen must not be allowed to
pursue their GE tree profits at the expense of
forests and communities.
Sincerely,
Anne Petermann
Executive Director, Global Justice Ecology
Project
Coordinator, STOP GE Trees Campaign
P.S. - For every gift of $100 or
more, we will send a copy of A Silent
Forest, our GE Trees documentary narrated by
renowned geneticist Dr. David
Suzuki.
